Outright AAC Crown On the Line Friday as No. 16 Memphis Hosts South Florida on Senior Night

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The No. 16 Memphis Tigers close the 2024-25 regular season with a Friday night showdown at FedExForum against last season's American Athletic Conference regular season champion South Florida. Game time is set for 8 p.m. on ESPN2.

Memphis will recognize Colby Rogers, Dain Dainja, Tyrese Hunter, Nicholas Jourdain and Moussa Cisse in a brief ceremony before the game. Fans are encouraged to arrive early and get to their seats by 7:45.

The Tigers, who already clinched the No. 1 seed and at least a share of the conference title at UTSA on Tuesday, can claim the regular season championship outright with a win over the Bulls. It is the program's first regular season title of any kind since taking the C-USA crown in 2012-13.

Memphis enters the finale 25-5 overall and 15-2 in league play and have won 16 of its last 18 games dating back to December.

Dain Dainja earned AAC Player of the Week for the first time on Monday after securing his third-consecutive double-double behind 18 points and a career-high 17 rebounds at UAB. The big man just missed a fourth-straight on Tuesday with 19 points and eight rebounds at UTSA.

South Florida (13-17, 6-11 AAC) comes into the matchup ninth in the AAC standings after being tabbed third in the preseason poll. The Bulls have dropped six of their last seven outings, including three in a row, after falling 69-63 at home Sunday to Florida Atlantic on Senior Day.

Ben Fletcher was named the interim head coach for the 2024-25 season following the tragic passing of Amir Abdur-Rahim. Fletcher, who served as assistant head coach during the 2023-24 season, was promoted to associate head coach in June 2024.

Memphis has won six of the last seven games against South Florida, but dropped the last meeting inside FedExForum last season, when the 10^th-ranked Tigers gave up a 20-point lead in the second half, falling 74-73.

The Tigers got some payback last month, however, when they went to Tampa and handed USF its second-largest loss of the conference season, 80-65, on February 13. Memphis won the rebounding battle (51-34) and put four players in double figures to secure its eighth-straight win at that point.

UP NEXT
After Friday's game, the Tigers head to Fort Worth, Texas, for the AAC Tournament at Dickies Arena. The tournament bracket will officially be revealed Sunday evening after the conclusion of all regular season games, but the Tigers know for sure they won't play until the quarterfinals on Friday, March 14 with a noon tipoff.

GAME DETAILS
No. 16 Memphis Tigers (25-5, 15-2 AAC) vs. South Florida Bulls (13-17, 6-11 AAC)
Friday, March 7, 2025 | 8:00 p.m.
FedExForum (18,400); Memphis, Tenn.
Television: ESPN2 (Brian Custer pxp; Daymeon Fishback, analysis)
Radio: 98.9 THE ROAR OF MEMPHIS (Dave Woloshin, pxp; Matt Dillon, analysis)

BY THE NUMBERS

1: Assist needed on Friday for Tyrese Hunter to reach 500 for his career. Only 33 active Division I players currently have 500 dimes for their career.
6th: PJ Haggerty ranks sixth in the nation in scoring at 21.3 points per game. He's also 4th in DI in free throws made (182) and the ONLY person averaging at least 21.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game this season.
9.2: The Tigers' average margin of victory in conference play this season, which is the top mark in the league. At home against AAC foes, that margin is +8.8.
13: Memphis has won 13-straight AAC games at FedExForum, but its last loss came to Rice last season, 74-71, on Jan. 13, 2024 (span of 416 days).
16.9: Second chance points per game for Memphis over the last nine outings. The Tigers have recorded 10+ offensive rebounds in all eight, and have pulled down 15+ in each of the last five.
20.5: Scoring average from Dain Dainja over the last four games. He's also pulling down 11.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in that span while shooting 64.8% (35-54). He's scored 16+ points in nine of his last 11 games.
20-0: Memphis' record this season when leading with five minutes remaining in the game. The Tigers are also 16-0 when leading at the half. Memphis is 63-5 the last three years when holding a lead with five minutes to play.

SCOUTING THE BULLS

Former Temple Owl Jamille Reynolds leads three players in double figure scoring at 12.9 points per game, and is pacing the squad in rebounding (7.7) and blocks (1.6). He is third in the league in overall rebounding and second in defensive rebounds per game (6.0).
Jayden Reid – a preseason second team All-AAC selection - is adding 12.2 points each time out and leads the Bulls with 53 made three-pointers and 3.6 assists per game.
Kobe Knox is the team's third-best scorer at 10.7 points.
The Bulls rank 13th nationally in fast break points (15.3), while also relying on their bench. Their 27.9 bench points per game rank 34th nationally.
They come away with 8.2 steals per game, which is second best in the conference and 45^th in the country.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For complete information on Memphis Tiger Men's Basketball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Outright AAC Crown On the Line Friday as No. 16 Memphis Hosts South Florida on Senior Night

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Moussa Cisse

Dain Dainja

PJ Haggerty

Tyrese Hunter

Nicholas Jourdain

Colby Rogers

University of Memphis Athletics

Outright AAC Crown On the Line Friday as No. 16 Memphis Hosts South Florida on Senior Night

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Moussa Cisse

Dain Dainja

PJ Haggerty

Tyrese Hunter

Nicholas Jourdain

Colby Rogers

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